


If I we meet again

by fortaelleren



Series: I‘ll be the one you love the most [2]
Category: Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six (Video Games)
Genre: Again, Emotional Baggage, Emotions, Five Years Later, Glaz gets hurt, Glaz has feelings, Glaz is like the best Sniper, I hate tagging, I have no idea how to explain his scope, Kapkan has feelings, Kapkan has some balls, M/M, Mentions of homophobia, No Beta, Reunion, Tachanka has a brief appereance, Timur has good friends, Timur has matured, talkinf about feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:34:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,861
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22804150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fortaelleren/pseuds/fortaelleren
Summary: 2010Timur meets Maxim again after an emergency call brings their units to South Russia.
Relationships: Maxim "Kapkan" Basuda/Timur "Glaz" Glazkov
Series: I‘ll be the one you love the most [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1637143
Kudos: 33





	If I we meet again

Makhachkala, Dagestan

January, 2010

It had taken them one hour to respond to the emergency call and three more hours to fly from St. Petersburg to Makhachkala before the unit got to know why their vacation week had been cancelled in the last minute. A suicide bomber.

Timur inhaled the nicotine of his cigarette deeply as he listened to his commanding officer explaining the basics of the incident that had costed around twenty civilian lives.

“So what are we supposed to do now?”, Iouri, Timur’s teammate and close friend asked after the officer had finished.

“The local scouts have informations about a hostage situation. The militants are aiming for Makhachkala’s pipe lines and securing their position with human shields. You are the best in infiltration and extraction, together with a second response unit we’re going to develop a plan to go in and rescue the hostages and take out all remaining hostiles.”

“Heard that, Glaz. You’re also the best.”, Iouri nudged Timur’s side affectionally after he deemed the Lieutenant’s answer sufficient. Iouri was nearly four years older than Timur and had at least the same amount of military experiences more than him, so the tall man always found a reason to tease Timur who was also the youngest of his unit.

“That reminds me, Glazkov you’re supposed to find a yourself a high ground.” Timur nodded ins response.

“I am not making a Star Wars joke.”, Iouri whispered with a grin.

“Nerd.”, Timur said just as quiet.

Apparently, did it take the second response a good hour longer to arrive in Makhachkala. Enough time for Timur and Iouri to settle into their provisional homes since big parts of the military base had been destroyed by a second bomb explosion mere minutes after the suicide attack. The barracks were cold without a working heater and Timur was glad to have brought a sleeping bag or else he would have to sleep with only a thin blanket. Iouri however wasn’t as lucky. His bunk bed was not only in a different house but also without a cover at all. Makhachkala’s difficult situation couldn’t be clearer if even the soldiers couldn’t be provided with basic supplies.

Now, Timur was waiting outside the barrack he shared with two of his teammates, sitting on a bench and smoking again. He had adopted the habit almost a year after he had joined the military after the first real mission. His mind had been racing just as fast as his heart while he had laid on a old mattress, aiming for his targets somewhere near the city of Omsk.

Timur had come a long way since then, making a name of himself within the military as one of the most aspiring sniper’s with the eye of an eagle and a nearly 100% accuracy. They started to call him Glaz when a mission in Krasnojarsk had ended with ten confirmed kill on his account.

He enjoyed the thrill of a shot, the seconds of total silence, when he stopped breathing, took aim and pulled the trigger. The rush of adrenaline was like a drug that he sometimes consumed too much. With his abilities improving, his fame growing and stakes rising, he got careless. Earning him a few more scars from surprise attacks. Then came Iouri who had washed his head and brought him back to the right track, the focused and concentrated one.

Timur exhaled the rough smoke. He wouldn’t be here without Iouri.

“Man, they sure keep us waiting.”, Andrei slumped down next to him on the bench. He was a broad man, packed with more muscled than flesh and a voice so deep it made Timur shiver. Despite that, Andrei was a pleasant comrade, someone to joke with. He was next to Iouri part of the his protection squad, as he liked to call it, since Timur needed to concentrate on the situation he saw through his scope, he needed someone to secure his back.

“Heard their plane was frosted.”, Timur shrugged, giving Andrei the remaining of his cigarette.

“Thanks.” Andrei took a deep inhale. “Shouldn’t they like... be prepared for that if they’re on alert?”

“Don’t ask me.”, Timur shrugged. “Fact is, I need to see the operation area before we head into action. I have no sniping position.”

“This base is a mess.” Andrei threw away the cold cigarette butt.

“Mh, Iouri doesn’t even have a blanket.”

“That mal’chik is thin as a paper, he’ll freeze to death.”

“We could throw out Anatoly.”, Timur thought out loud. “And switch him with Iouri. Sleepover like the good old days.”

“Just admit you want to share a bed again.”, Andrei laughed and Timur joined him. The memory of their deployment to Krasnojarsk returning to him. Before Iouri, there had only been the little too hot-heated Andrei who had protected his ass alone. One night they had to scramble into a small guesthouse because the base had been placed on lockdown. The only remaining room had been equipped with a double bed, naturally they had shared this bed. Unfortunately, Timur was rather clingy in his sleep and Andrei gave bear hugs. The next morning they woke up entangled and sweating due to the body heat both had produced during the night.

“Iouri wouldn’t be freezing.”, Timur shrugged again. He didn’t averse the idea should Iouri really be that cold at night.

“Never again.”, Andrei jumped to his feet. “Come on, let’s see if they’re ready for briefing.”

Timur let himself be pulled to his feet as well before he followed his teammate towards the last whole building of Makhachkala’s military base.

And indeed had the second response unit arrived during the course of an hour after Timur’s unit’s arrival. While his teammates had all settled in and were dressed only in some cargo-pants and their heavy coats, the men of unit two were packed with duffel bags and additional combat gear. Timur examined them but due to the balaclavas and face paints he didn’t recognize anyone. It didn’t matter anyway. They would have time to get to know each other later, also Timur was really eager to find his eagle nest. Without the security of knowing his snipping position, he felt nervous.

“Alright, ladies.”, the Lieutenant of unit two started. “As an emergency response, you were sent here to perform the mission of securing and extracting hostages from a nearby office building. The scouts that were send after the bombing estimated at least ten hostages. You, gentlemen, are the best soldiers our military has to offer right now, so we expect a success with no casualties among the civilians.” The Lieutenant looked around the group of men, most of them nodded along his words.

“This is the building you have to infiltrate with maximum efficiency.”, the commanding officer of Timur’s unit continued. “We send in three teams of four. Main entrance, emergency exit and through the fire door on fourth floor.” He was pointing at the spots on a blurry picture they had of the building. “We don’t have much intel since this base isn’t equipped for more. That’s where Glaz comes in.” The Lieutenant looked over his shoulder to signal Timur to step forward and reveal his presence. “He will go into position on a higher spot. With his modified rifle, he’ll be able to make out targets simply by their thermal images.”

“Sir.”, one of unit two’s men said firm.

“Speak.”

“How can he distinguish if it’s a hostile or one of us?” The Lieutenant gave Timur a nod to let him explain the magic of his rifle himself.

“You’ll be getting a jammer that was specifically designed to jam thermal signals of your body. I assure you that not only this jammer but also my rifle and the HDS will work perfectly.”

“Now, that that is clear. Get ready. After Glaz has a position, we send you in. You’re dismissed.”

Timur shuffled out of the tent to take a deep inhale of the cold January air. How could a bunch of men smell worse than a herd of cows? He almost felt the need to pull out another cigarette but just then Andrei and Iouri left the HQ together with some other soldiers.

“Hey T, have you met my old friend Alexandr already?”, Andrei asked, grinning wide while he clapped his hand on the back of a man who was just as stall an packed as Andrei himself.

“No, I haven’t.”, Timur answered as he decided to light a cigarette anyway.

“I have heard some stories about the famous Glaz.”, Alexandr chuckled.

“Still feeding from gossip, huh?” Andrei said.

“You know how it is.” Timur watched the two bickering about anything and nothing while he blew the smoke into the air, enjoying the scratch of nicotine in his throat. That shit was gonna kill him if a bullet didn’t. Timur’s eyes fell on a man standing behind Alexandr, tall but not as broad as his comrade. His face was painted in a diversity of green colors and his mouth was hidden by a balaclava yet he was close enough for Timur to see his eyes which stared at him. A cold shiver ran down Timur’s spine as he held the gaze. Those eyes. For a moment, he was back in Beslan, bleeding on the tiles in that storage room of his old school where the same set of eyes had looked down at him as he was carried to the ambulance. Those eyes, that had been teary on the last day he had seen them in five years. Timur felt like having a heart attack, his breath hitched and he suddenly felt dizzy.

“No.”, he whispered, taking a step or two backwards.

“Mhh?”, Andrei turned towards him. “Is everything alright?”

Timur tore his gaze from the blue eyes and looked at Iouri instead, the only person within the military who knew the deepest truth about him.

“I think it’s time to get ready. We need to find a eagle spot.”, Iouri interfered as soon as he understood Timur’s voiceless hints.

“Yeah, you’re right.” Andrei patted Alexandr on his shoulder before he and Iouri followed Timur back to his barrack.

“Does he even remember me? I was just a teenager back then.” Timur was pacing up and down inside the empty barrack. Iouri sat on a bunk next to Andrei who was visibly confused.

“Who?”

“Maxim!”

“Calm down, Glaz. He doesn’t know about your little childhood crush.”, Iouri fought the urge to roll his eyes. He had endured so many talks with Timur crying about Maxim that this situation felt almost unreal. How big had their chances been to meet after five years during a deployment somewhere in South Russia?

“What?”

“It was just a little crush!”

“Small Glaz was in love with officer Maxim who had rescued him during the Beslan school siege. Sadly, officer Maxim was too correct and didn’t start an affair with a seventeen years-old student.”, Iouri shortly explained the background to Andrei, not missing the sour tone in his voice. They really didn’t need this kind of distraction for Timur right now.

“Shit, you’re gay?”, Andrei asked with wide eyes. Right. He didn’t know that. Timur stopped mid motion and gave Iouri a frightened look.

“Yes, he is. Get over it.”, Iouri shrugged. Andrei visibly swallowed.

“And you joined the military? Shit, T, they would kill you if they’d know.”

“Fuck, I know.”

“And that Maxim dude, was he the one with Alex?”

“Yes!”

“And you haven’t seen him in five years because you were a teenager back then?”

“Sometimes I cannot believe that you’re an intelligent human being.”, Iouri shook his head. “That’s exactly the problem here. He is freaking out because...” A knock on the door made all three of them stop breathing for a second as if they had been caught discussing greater secrets than Timur’s sexuality. Iouri was the first to snap back to reality, he jumped to his feet and walked over to the door.

“Can I help you?”, Iouri answered the knock with his usual friendly voice.

“I...I was looking for uhm Glaz?”

“Hey, Andrei!.” Iouri yelled over his shoulder. “ Get your ass over here and accompany me to do Glaz’s job. Seems he has a different business.”

Timur gave Andrei a look that screamed ‘please don’t go’ but Andrei was already on his way to follow Iouri out of the house. He watched them leave and Maxim walking through the door instead who had washed of the face paint and wasn’t wearing a balaclava anymore.

For a while they were just standing there on the worn wooden floor, hearts beating faster with every passing minute but neither dared to say a thing. Timur took several shaky breaths, fiddling with the hem of his grey shirt. He couldn’t grasp the reality of the situation as he looked at Maxim standing tall and stiff.

“Tima.”, Maxim finally whispered. Tears were filling Timur’s eyes, making his vision blurry at the echo of his old nickname. He let out a small sob. Then everything went so fast that Timur didn’t even hear Maxim move before he felt his strong arms tight around himself. Seconds passed in which Timur slowly relaxed, smelling Maxim’s musk, feeling the warmth underneath all the layeredclothes. He let go of his tears, crying freely because a relief overwhelmed him that made his knees week. Maxim made a little space between them to look Timur in the eyes, taking a hand to the younger’s cheek, swiping away the tears. It felt like Beslan all over again.

“Look at you.”, Maxim said. “How much grown up.” His smile was filled with so many emotions.

“Yes.”, Timur breathed. Maxim’s fingers moved along Timur’s cheek and jaw before resting at his neck. His touch felt so good.

“You’ve gotten more edges, some muscles. You’ve even grown some cheekbones.” A tear was falling down Maxim’s face as he continued to appreciate Timur’s facial features. “You’re still so handsome.”

“And you haven’t changed.”, Timur lifted his own hand to feel Maxim’s cheek, the skin where it was wet from the tears he shed because of him. Something inside him felt satisfaction that Maxim cried, that the man he had loved for five years seemed to feel remorse. Timur smiled sadly.

“You’re so pretty.”, Maxim repeated shakily. “Why are you here?”, he cried.

“You know why.”

“I had hoped so much that it wasn’t the same Timur Glazkov on the recruiting list as the one I had left behind in Beslan. But when you didn’t answer my message, I lost that hope.” Maxim collected himself, still not letting go of Timur, too afraid what would happen if he did.

“I’ve never forgotten you, Maxim. I couldn’t. So my foolish self thought that by joining the arms I could find you. You know, in a different place at a different time.”

“Oh, Tima.” Maxim carted a hand through Timur’s short hair.

“Turns out, not all of Russia is like Beslan and definitely not as accepting.”, Timur gave another sad smile at the memory of homophobic slurs he had heard in his five years at the military which is why he had only talked to Iouri about his sexuality and his past with Maxim.

“I told you.”

“I know but I was too stubborn to listen. Now I am Russia’s most known elite sniper.”

“So, I’ve heard.” Maxim smiled.

“Let’s... let’s put that mission first, okay? We...we could talk afterwards.” If there is anything to talk about, Timur added silently.

“Yeah, we could do that.”, Maxim nodded but hesitated to yet let go. Timur swallowed down the lump in his throat, wriggling free by himself. Maxim’s arm fell down at his sides.

“Keep safe on that mission.”, he said as he went for the door. Before he walked through the frame, he stopped without looking back but rather through the opened door.

“I still love you.”, Timur whispered almost inaudible. But he knew Maxim had heard him.

“I know.”, Maxim answered as he exited the barrack, leaving a emotional Timur behind.

Around four pm, as the sun began to set in the West Timur and his teammates had settled down on the fifth floor of the building across the office. Andrei and Iouri had found a suitable position for him to observe the whole area of operation. The three intervention teams had all took their place at their destined entrances and were waiting for Timur to give the commands. His part was crucial in the mission, since the infantry soldiers didn’t know what would await them once they were inside the building. It was Timur’s duty to inform the of hostile actions if he saw it through the window.

The hard concrete was cold beneath Timur’s body as he laid down, looking through his scope to begin the mission. Behind him, Iouri and Andrei set up several traps.

“Teams, do you copy?”, Timur said through his comm.

“All ears, Glaz.”

“I can see the hostages on the third floor. You’re clear to engage.”

The teams set to move into the building. The shooting echoed through the ghostly city. Many civilians had fled the place as the terrorist attacks had increased and those few who remained in their homes never showed their presence.

Timur followed the first IT with his scope, they had made their way through the fire exit and along the windows so Timur could see them properly. Maxim was with them, though he couldn’T make out who was who on this distance.

“I hope your earlier encounter doesn’t alter the mission.”, Iouri murmured. The older man sat next to Timur, observing the streets below while Andrei secured the stairwell.

“It doesn’t.”, Timur assured his friend. “We agreed on talking later.”

“Good. Though, he has some balls to even consider talking to you.” They could hear Andrei chuckling far behind.

“What does that mean?” Timur looked up for a second to see Iouri’s face.

“You know, you might have been a teenager back then but now you’re a grown ass soldier who wouldn’t hesitate to punch one in the face.”

“I wouldn’t hit Maxim.”, Timur shook his head before he concentrated back on the building. “He hasn’t done anything wrong.”

“Took you long enough to realize.”

“Shut up, Iouri.” Timur didn’t mean to sound rude but he really had no nerve to deal with Iouri’s teasing right now. So, I adjusted his rifle to see a different spot where the second team was coming forward from the emergency exit. As far as he remembered, Alexandr was part of that one. When he saw movement that didn’t belong to his comrades and send of thermal energy, he activated his comm.

“IT two, you hear me?”

“What’s up?”

“You see that door? get behind the wall next to it, there are two hostiles in the adjacent room, probably looking for you.”

“Copy.” Timur saw how the four men shuffled next to the open door, making sure that they weren’t seen in the process.

“Stay put, I’ll take them.” Timur closed his left eye, aiming for head of the target closest to the door. To have a precise shot, he stopped mid inhale and pulled the trigger. Before the second man could even react,Timur readjusted the rifle, killing him with just the same accuracy. The sniper let out his breath when he confirmed his kills.

“Targets eliminated, you can go.”

“Thanks, man.” That was Alexandr’s voice if he remembered it correctly.

“Stay careful.”

Another twenty minutes later, all teams were in position to assault the captors within the office on third floor. Timur had counted at least a dozen of them with just as many hostages. They needed to be careful to avoid any civilian casualties. With his opening shot and the take down of the first target, the three teams stormed the area. But Timur didn’t get the chance to help his comrades as a loud tumult down at the streets below him asked for his attention.

“They must have informed their friends that we have a sniper up here.”, Iouri assumed.

“Bastards.”, Andrei said as he got his gun ready.

“Wait, let them approach. The less we fight, the more time the teams have.” Timur nodded and went back to look through his scope.

What the three of them didn’t expect was the impact of a missile that had been fired right into the wall next to Timur. Within seconds, the concrete wall exploded into million pieces, hitting Timur together with the shock wave coming from the projectile itself. It pressed the air out of his lungs, threw him a good few meters away and made his ears ringing. Suddenly, his whole body hurt, he felt warm blood pooling underneath his stomach and it was hard to breath as if his lungs had holes and he couldn’t get enough air in them. His vision was blurry, a sticky wetness at his temples told him that he must have taken a hit to the head. However, he couldn’t move much, every little twitch of his muscles was followed by a series of sharp pain running through his nerves. He groaned in agony and went slack to prevent himself from hurting even more.

When the ringing in his ears cleared, it was replaced by hearing his blood rushing through his veins and the dull voice of Iouri.

“IT! IT! Do you hear me?”, he nearly screamed into the comm as he made his way to check on Timur. He checked his pulse and examined his body without touching him much, too afraid of doing even more damage.

“What happened? We heard an explosion.”, came the crackled response through Iouri’s comm.

“A grenade, it caught us off guard.”

“Off guard? You’re not supposed to be off guard on a damn mission.”

“We didn’t expect them to launch a fucking grenade!”, Iouri defended himself.

“Any fatalities?”

“No but Glaz...” Iouri’s voice wavered as his eyes fell on his comrade who was laying in his own blood and nearly choking on his own rattling inhales.

“What’s with him?”

“He got a direct hit. Shit, we... we need evac! Immediately. He is barely breathing and bleeding everywhere. I don’t know how bad it is but seems worse.”

“Hey, calm down, Dimitrov! We called the ambulance. Basuda is coming to aid you.”

“We don’t have much time. Iouri scrambled back to Andrei who was pressing an already red cloth to his thigh. He and Iouri hadn’t been as close to the impact as Timur and therefore weren’T that heavily wounded.

They heard steps coming from the stairwell, then Maxim busted through the door. He looked around, finding Iouri first with his eyes.

“Where...” Iouri pointed at the bundle of dirty clothes in the far corner of the room.

“He...he...”

“Iouri, right?”, Maxim crouched down in front of him. “Listen, you take care of your friend here, alright? Make that first aid kid working and I’ll tend to...Glaz. Alright? You need to calm down.”

“Yes.” The shock was written all over Iouri’s eyes. It was clear that he never had experienced such a situation nor that one of his friend’s had gotten hurt so seriously.

Maxim nodded before he stood up to walk over to Timur who hadn’t moved since the impact. His chest was expanding so slightly that without a trained eye, you would miss it.

“Tima.”, Maxim whispered as he carefully turned his friend around to give his chest more space. Timur’s breathing was filled with terrifying noises but the younger man opened his eyes the moment he had understand is name.

“Maxim.”, he croaked, failing miserably with his smile.

“Hey.”, Maxim wiped away the blood from his face as the slid on leg underneath Timur’s head to stabilize his position.

“I can’t breath.”, Timur said faintly.

“I hear it, but you need awake until the medics arrive. You remember, right.” Maxim gave him a sad smile as he tried to preserve his own emotions.

“You were afraid...”, Timur took a strained breath, struggling to speak. “that I would die of a cardiac arrest in your arms.”

“Yeah, so you stay awake. Right?”

“Still my hero, then.” Timur smiled tiredly, closing his eyes.

“Hey, Tima, look at me. Show me your pretty eyes, mh.”

“What’s your name?”, Timur breathed out and opened his eyes again, trying hard to focus on a point on Maxim’s handsome face. The older man huffed a laugh as he fought back the tears.

“Maxim.”, he answered.

“That’s a nice name.” Timur felt a hand carting through his hair, a comforting gesture that made him feel the love again that he had kept deep within his heart for this man. “How old are you?”

“30.”

“You got older.” Timur coughed, losing his breath and feeling the pain expand through his chest.

“Happens to the best of us.”

“Maxim.” his words suddenly sounded desperate.

“I’m here, Tima, I’m here.”

“Maxim, I...I still love you.” Timur closed his eyes again, to exhausted to keep them open. His strained muscles easing out as he slowly drifted into slumber.

“I know.”

“How?” The word was so faint, Maxim almost didn’t hear it.

“Because my feelings haven’t left me either. If only, they had grown. You’ve grown up so much.”

“Is that the different time and the different place?”

“Maybe, they could be.”

“Maxim...” Timur’s breath hitched again, stopping him from whatever he wanted to say. He didn’t inhale again afterwards.

“Tima!” Maxim yelled. The same minute, the medics arrived, pushing Maxim away from their patient. They put a oxygen mask around Timur’s mouth and nose, ripped open the clothes to free his chest and quickly cleaned most part of his chest. They attached three pads to his torso, a machine calibrating the vital signals before it informed the medics that there was no heartbeat. One medic took a clear gel and smeared it on two metal handles, the he ordered his colleagues to move away a little before he counted to three. An electronic shock wave lifted Timur’s body for a second, the medic waited another to look at the vitals. The beeping of the heart monitor stayed the same.

Maxim held his breath as he watched the medic trying to reanimate Timur a second time. The defibrillator made a dull sound as it send another wave through the sniper’s body. Nothing happened.

A third time. Maxim was on the verge of crying as he send silent prayers to everyone who was listening.

“Come on, Tima.”, he whispered. The five seconds that passed after the usage of the defibrillator felt like a whole eternity in which Maxim’s mind was blank and full of thoughts at the same time. Like an empty vessel, he sat on the floor, eyes transfixed on the heart monitor, hypnotized by the green flat line. Then, a beeping, a new rhythm. The line swerved up and down.

“He have him back.”, the medic announced before he set up the mobile bed and lifted Timur into it together with his colleagues who had tended to Iouri and Andrei’s wounds in the meantime of Timur’s revival.

Maxim let out the held breath as he followed the doctor together with Timur’s teammates. He realized only now, he had nearly lost Tima for good now.

Maxim had always hated the smell of hospitals. And the way, doctors and nurses passed through the hallways without giving visitors as second glance, like their mourning didn’t matter. Nevertheless, he was sitting at the emergency department, waiting for someone to tell him what happened to Timur. Ever since they had arrived here with the ambulance, they had brought Timur to the restricted area, making Maxim stay behind to wait. This feeling of uncertainty nearly made him go insane.

“Are you waiting for someone?”, a blonde nurse approached him with a warm smile. She noticed his gear and slowed down her pace to stop by him. “Ah, I see.”

“Do you know what happens?”

“He is in surgery right now, I can’t tell more.”

“Is he okay?”

“The doctors are doing their best.” She went to a nearby room and returned with some papers and a bottle of sanitizer. “Here, might clean your hands a little.”

“Thank you.” Maxim took the offered objects and rubbed of the dry blood and dirt from his fingers.

“You saved a lot of people today, mh?”, the nurse said and sat down next to him but not too close.

“You know?”

“My husband was one of the hostages, He worked at the office.” She smiled at Maxim, so warm and reassuring that for a moment he let himself indulge into it, forgetting the horrors of the past hours. “I assume, he is your friend.”

“Yes.”, he yielded.

“That’s not all, mh? I’ve never seen someone so distraught by a friend’s condition.” she patted Maxim on the shoulder as if they had been knowing each other for years, though she didn’t press on the matter or forced Maxim to spill any secrets. “That’s what feelings do to us. The moment I heard about the siege, I couldn’t function properly, to afraid of my husband.” She stood up again, probably needing to go back to work. “I am sure he’ll make it.”

“What’s your name?”, Maxim asked as the nurse took the used papers and the sanitizer from him.

“Anna.”, she smiled.

“Maxim.”

“Nice to meet you, Maxim.”

“Take of your husband, he is lucky to have you as his wife.”

“I will, thank you.” Anna left without a second glance, leaving Maxim with his thoughts.

It was already 10 pm when Anna returned to him with the news that the emergency surgery had wen tell and Timur’s condition was stable for now yet they had to wait whether he makes it through the night. She also added that he probably wouldn’t wake up soon but she still offered Maxim to see him.

Of course, Maxim had jumped to his feet, following the petite nurse to the intensive care unit where Timur was currently under surveillance. Anna left Maxim on his own, not wanting to disturb the moment.

Maxim went to Timur’s bedside, examining the pale face of his friend that was covered halfway by an oxygen mask. Through the transparent plastic, he could see Timur’s parted lips and how every shallow breath steamed the mask. A few scratches scattered across his face, all neatly cleaned and the deep ones bandaged. The wounds left a trail down the side of his neck underneath the hospital clothes and the duvet. Maxim didn’t want to see how bruised and torn Timur’s body was beneath the cover. A tube slithered his way to Timur’s left arm, pumping a yellowish liquid into his body. Other cords disappeared underneath the blanket, they were attached to a heart monitor which’s beeping sound filled the silence of the room.

Maxim reached for Timur’s hand, feeling the cold skin. Like a corpse, Maxim thought, shivering at the idea. Timur had almost died this day and Maxim would never have had a chance to talk to him again. He didn’t regret the decision he had made back in Beslan, Timur had been a minor and homosexuality had no place in the Russian military. A fact Maxim had assumed Tima would know. But the boy had been growing up in a better environment than Maxim, and his parents were far more open minded than most other Russian citizens. The naivety to believe the whole country had that mindset had brought Timur here, to the Speznas and to Makhachkala, to him and to his near death. Was it all Maxim’s fault in the end that Tima had almost died today?

He pondered about the thought for a long time while he had taken a seat next to Timur’s bed, holding his lax hand. He was so occupied with his own mind that he didn’t notice Iouri entering the room. The tall man took silent steps towards the bed and stopped on the other side across from Maxim.

“Still here?”, he asked, voice with a warm friendly tone than almost covered the underlaying worry.

“I wouldn’t sleep anyway.”, Maxim replied.

“Me too. Though, they gave Andrei enough painkillers to knock him out for a week.”, Iouri huffed, trying to lift the mood just a little. “I freaked out. Sorry.” He added more seriously.

“It happens. What matters is how you cope with the aftermath. That’s what determines if you’re the hunter or the prey.”

“I didn’t expect for Glaz’s crush to be philosophical.”

“Feelings do that to you sometimes.”, Maxim replied, remembering Anna’s words.

“I guess they do.” Iouri looked at Timur, examining the superficial damage. He looked so peaceful in his sleep, he couldn’t believe that his man had just survived a grenade explosion. Life was short, he realized. Iouri saw Maxim holding Timur’s hand almost frantically as if he let go he would lose him immediately.

“You know,” Iouri began calmly. “three years ago a very flustered Timur had come to me in the middle of the night, smelling like chimney and with saddest expression on his I have ever seen and he told me, voice shaking, Iouri, I am gay.” He watched Maxim closely to catch every single reaction of the other man, then he sighed defeated. “Look, I don’t know much about you besides what Glaz had told me but I know that you care about him. He is a good person. I never want to see him this hurt and sad again like he did that night.”

The older soldier huffed silently, his eyes ever so focused on the sleeping Timur next to him. The beeping of the heart monitor was deafening loud in Maxim’s ears. Shallow breathing accompanied by a rattling noise that only damaged lungs could produce hung like a cloud between the three men. If Glaz was listening to them? He wasn’t in a coma but some people believed that your hearing was still working while sleeping

“I never wanted see him in a hospital again.”, Maxim said quietly. “He means so much to me that it scares me because we have no place here and he deserves the world.”

“He has always talked about a different place at a different time. Maybe, you should go that way together.”

“How?”

“I don’t know but don’t leave him again if you feel the same as he does.” Iouri’s answer was final and Maxim had nothing to reply. So, he only nodded and watched as Iouri left them both. Eventually, Maxim fell asleep with his head on Timur’s bed right next to where he was holding his hand.

Timur woke up, groggily and his mind clouded in a comfortable dizziness. He slowly opened his eyes. His surrounding was so bright that it hurt. He groaned in agony but continued to carefully look around the white room. There was something at his fingers, a piece of paper that costed all of his strength to lift it up. Smiling, he read the combination of numbers and the neat Cyrillic beneath it.

Let’s make the time and place different by ourselves. -Maxim

**Author's Note:**

> Noticed how I ended almost every paragraph with someone saying something? Yeah, I like that too much.  
> Anyway, How did you like this part to the series ?  
> I hope I can write something more intimidate soon, I hate slow burn :)  
> As always, find me on on Twitter: [Lvckylvx](https://Twitter.com/Lvckylvx)


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